From today, employers in Victoria who deliberately underpay wages or other entitlements like superannuation could face substantial fines or up to 10 years’ jail. This is a huge, worker-led victory. Union members campaigned together to make wage theft a crime to bring justice and change to exploited workers.
Until now, an employee stealing from the till was a criminal matter, but an employer stealing thousands from their employees was merely an administrative error. The worker could be charged by police for theft and could receive a criminal record - but the boss would simply be asked to repay what they stole.